world of men's style / fashion / grooming

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For our latest installment of Talking Shop, we sat down with Paul O’Neill, creative director of Levi’s Vintage Clothing, to bring you a behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings of an American fashion legend.

A little background: the San Francisco–based outfit (with Chicago roots) has been making a name for itself by turning out the sort of handsome, perfect-fitting dress shirts you’ll actually want to wear—without requiring a banker’s collar or salary. They do this thanks to the magic of the Internet and a nationwide network of Outfitters—think personal shopper meets tailor.

Those Outfitters come to you—at the office, the laundromat, wherever it is you’re most comfortable—and measure you up. Then you’ve got your pick of shirts sourced from world-class textile mills, and a few more details to iron out should you be so inclined. (This isn’t your average stuffy bespoke job, nor will there be an overwhelming amount of choices. The curating has been done for you.)

Then, about 30 minutes later, you’re done, and Trumaker will get busy working on your shirts. And before you know it, your new shirts will be at your door.

In case you’re not familiar with the LA-based upstart label Combatant Gentlemen: it’s basically what you get when you combine a third-generation tailor, a fashion-business insider and a tech guru—and subtract all the conventional markup schemes. What you also get: well-made suits cut from 140s wool with real horn buttons... all at an absurd value. And, as of today, a classic tux that’s got satin lapels, traditional waist tabs in the pants and all of the same construction and value Combatant Gentlemen is making its name on. Plus, they’re sweetening the pot today by giving every tuxedo purchaser an opportunity to win a champagne-soaked New Year’s Eve blowout for four in Las Vegas.

The ultimate essential for any gentleman traveler: a sophisticated, durable travel bag.

The sort of thing that can take some punishment and gets better with age.

Something like TUMI’s new line of travel bags designed for the global citizen. The heritage travel brand tapped designer-craftsman George Esquivel to head up creative direction for the brand, and everything’s coming up dapper already. From the sleek leather carry-ons to the indestructible Tegra-Lite rollers. (TUMI is the only travel brand using the revolutionary armor material.)

And now they’re launching the TUMI Global Citizens campaign, highlighting world-class and well-traveled characters like Paolo Ferrari, CEO of Pirelli Tire North America, who requires travel gear that wouldn’t look out of place next to his Italian tailoring and hard-bottoms.

Of course, if your own jetsetting habits skew more toward “international gentleman of leisure,” you’ll still want this stuff at your side.

Yep. Coach isn’t just making achingly beautiful wallets and handbags anymore—though they’re still doing a bang-up job on that front. They’re applying their 72 years of luxury know-how to a slick mélange of autumnal handsomeness in their fall 2013 collection, replete with tailored coats, cashmere sweaters, leather boots and bags—and whatever else you need to look better than everyone ever.

(Pro tip: to hear some New York Stories from some of Coach’s handpicked fashion influencers like British gent-about-town Will Chalker, and inspiration behind the collection, follow #CoachNewYorkStories wherever hashtags are accepted.)

And feel free to expect everything in the new fall collection to be just as ruggedly handsome as their bags have always been.

For all the obsessing over sartorial minutiae that happens on the Internet, one of the most important elements of our daily wardrobe doesn’t get much attention: underwear.

And that’s a damn shame.

So today we set out to right that wrong. And you’ve got 24 hours to do the same.

Because our esteemed colleagues at UrbanDaddy and the maestros of underthings at MeUndies are teaming up to get you back on track in the boxer/brief department with three ridiculously comfortable pairs for half off the retail price.

What you need to know: these underwear are designed in Los Angeles and made from the highest quality modal sourced from the high Alps of Austria. It’s ultrasoft. And it never rises. And... well, it’s perfect.

There’s a picture of them in the dictionary under “boat shoe.” You can wear them anywhere, from schooners to rooftop bars. And they pair with tweed and seersucker alike.

Well, now they’re unveiling something called the Gold Cup Collection—a fall arsenal of boaters, saddle shoes and chukkas perfectly timed for any autumnal adventures on the high seas or otherwise. Naturally, since originating the boat shoe in 1935, they’ve picked up a few tricks along the way, so you can expect even more ruggedly refined touches, like deerskin lining and some advanced technology to increase the grippiness of the soles in this new line.

If there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s: get the right timepiece and you’ll see returns far beyond your initial investment.

And when it comes to haute horology, there are only a few houses as legendary as Cartier—they’ve been making iconic watches since 1904, when Louis Cartier designed one of the first-ever aviation watches.

It’s a style that will catch the attention of watch aficionados and gearheads alike. (For those keeping score at home, “calibre” is the official designation for watch movements totally unique to a watch brand.) But the real functionality is that this Cartier is just as slick as its forefather—down to the telltale sapphire adorning the crown—but it’s a sport watch at heart. In other words, you’ve got a timepiece that’ll look just as at-home under a field jacket as it will under your summer-weight suit. It comes in a handful of different finishes that you can get a better look at after the jump, plus we’re deeming our three favorites instant Must-Haves (to join the rest of the crew in our left-most column).